[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 158 (Thursday, August 15, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Page 53350]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-20743]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-7260-1]


Food Safety Risk Analysis Clearinghouse; Public Meeting and 
Poster Presentations

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency.

ACTION: Notice of public meeting.

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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is announcing a 
public meeting cosponsored by the interagency Risk Assessment 
Consortium (RAC). This meeting will be hosted by Federal research 
scientists who deal with a broad array of food safety issues, and will 
be an open house poster session on the afternoon of September 18, 2002. 
The purpose of this public meeting is to provide an opportunity for the 
public to observe the breadth of food safety risk assessment expertise 
that is utilized by Federal agencies.

DATES: The public meeting will be held on September 18, 2002, 1 p.m. to 
5 p.m.

ADDRESSES: The public meeting will be held at the Harvey W. Wiley 
Federal Building, 5100 Paint Branch Parkway, Room 1A001, College Park, 
Maryland 20740.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jacqueline McQueen, Office of Research 
and Development (8104R), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 
Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460-0001, 202-564-6639, FAX 
202-565-2916, e:mail: [email protected] or Tomeikah 
Williams, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (HFS-6), Food 
and Drug Administration, 5100 Paint Branch Parkway, College Park, 
Maryland 20740, 301-436-1675, FAX 301-436-2630, e-mail: 
[email protected].
    Registration: None required.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Risk Assessment Consortium (RAC), which 
includes members from Federal agencies that have responsibilities for 
food safety risk analysis, was established under the President's Food 
Safety Initiative to advance the science of food safety risk assessment 
and to assist agencies in fulfilling their specific food safety 
regulatory mandates. Through the RAC, the agencies collectively work to 
enhance communication and coordination among the member agencies and 
promote the conduct of scientific research that will facilitate risk 
assessments.
    The focus of this public meeting will be to demonstrate how the 
process of risk assessment is applied to many types of food safety 
issues, including bacterial contamination, food additives, pesticides, 
and antibiotic resistance. Scientists who work within the Food and Drug 
Administration (FDA), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the 
Centers for Disease Control (CDC), and the Environmental Protection 
Agency (EPA), and other agencies will be presenting posters on how the 
scientific process applies to these many potential problems. Examples 
of topics that will be presented in the posters include pesticides, 
food additives, biotech-derived plant materials, natural contaminants 
such as mycotoxins, antibiotic resistance, and microbial hazards. A 
computer demonstration will also be available to show how changing 
certain assumptions in microbial risk assessments can greatly influence 
the results of many assessments and how the best available data are 
used to provide accurate predictions. A complete list of poster topics 
will be posted at: http://www.foodriskclearinghouse.umd.edu/Risk_Assessment_Consortium.htm.

    Dated: August 9, 2002.
Kevin Y. Teichman,
Acting Director, Office of Science Policy, Office of Research and 
Development.
[FR Doc. 02-20743 Filed 8-14-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P